Tian Peipei, Feng Kuishuang, Sun Laixiang, Hubacek Klaus, Malerba Daniele, Zhong Honglin, Zheng Heran, Li Dan, Zhang Ning, Li Jiashuo
Institute of Blue and Green Development, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China.
Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD20742.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Mar 19;121(12):e2306771121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2306771121. Epub 2024 Mar 11.
Addressing the total energy cost burden of elderly people is essential for designing equitable and effective energy policies, especially in responding to energy crisis in an aging society. It is due to the double impact of energy price hikes on households-through direct impact on fuel bills and indirect impact on the prices of goods and services consumed. However, while examining the household energy cost burden of the elderly, their indirect energy consumption and associated cost burden remain poorly understood. This study quantifies and compares the direct and indirect energy footprints and associated total energy cost burdens for different age groups across 31 developed countries. It reveals that the elderly have larger per capita energy footprints, resulting from higher levels of both direct and indirect energy consumption compared with the younger age groups. More importantly, the elderly, especially the low-income elderly, have a higher total energy cost burden rate. As the share of elderly in the total population rapidly grows in these countries, the larger per capita energy footprint and associated cost burden rate of elderly people would make these aging countries more vulnerable in times of energy crises. It is therefore crucial to develop policies that aim to reduce energy consumption and costs, improve energy efficiency, and support low-income elderly populations. Such policies are necessary to reduce the vulnerability of these aging countries to the energy crisis.
解决老年人的能源总成本负担对于制定公平有效的能源政策至关重要，尤其是在应对老龄化社会的能源危机时。这是因为能源价格上涨对家庭有双重影响——直接影响燃料账单，间接影响所消费商品和服务的价格。然而，在研究老年人的家庭能源成本负担时，他们的间接能源消费及相关成本负担仍鲜为人知。本研究对31个发达国家不同年龄组的直接和间接能源足迹以及相关的能源总成本负担进行了量化和比较。研究表明，老年人的人均能源足迹更大，这是因为与年轻年龄组相比，他们的直接和间接能源消费水平更高。更重要的是，老年人，尤其是低收入老年人，能源总成本负担率更高。随着这些国家老年人口在总人口中的比例迅速增长，老年人较大的人均能源足迹和相关成本负担率将使这些老龄化国家在能源危机时期更加脆弱。因此，制定旨在降低能源消耗和成本、提高能源效率以及支持低收入老年人群体的政策至关重要。此类政策对于降低这些老龄化国家对能源危机的脆弱性是必要的。
